Roasty roots and chickpea salad

This is a really simple but satisfying dish that's easy to throw together. And the sum total of cook ware needed is one large baking tray. What's not to like? It's also a creative use of winter roots – the Middle-Eastern spices bring a bit of flair and spizzaz to fairly unexciting vegetables. Other combinations of roots would work well here too – try adding swede, celeriac or parsnip into the mix and you can play around with different herb and spice combos too. Try it with crushed garlic cloves, sprigs of thyme or chilli flakes or even orange wedges!

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

Ingredients

300g carrots, roughly chopped into bite-sized chunks

300g beetroots, roughly chopped into bite-sized chunks

1 x 400g can of chickpeas

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

Salt & pepper to taste

Big glug of olive oil

Small bag of salad leaves or baby spinach

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Chop your carrots and beets and transfer them to a large baking tray.

If you have a pestle and mortar, crush the seeds roughly – they don't have to be ground down finely, just bashed a bit to break them open. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, then just use the seeds whole. They'll work perfectly well without being crushed.

Sprinkle the seeds, salt and pepper over the roots. Drain the chickpeas and add them to the tray. Drizzle over a generous glug of olive oil and mix thoroughly so it's all coated in oil and spices.

Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft and browning a bit on the edges. The chickpeas will get hard and crispy.

Arrange salad leaves on plates and divide the roasted roots & chickpeas on top of the salad. Reserve the oil left in the tray and drizzle these lovely juices over the top of your salad as well.

Keep In Touch

This veg box scheme was launched with help from the Growing Communities Start-up Programme which aims to transform the food system by helping people set up local, sustainable vegetable box schemes across the country.